Nurses and ambulance workers, railway staff, bus drivers and postal workers have already voted yes to strike action, while civil servants and teachers are waiting for the results of ballots. Many are public sector workers, while others provide important services such as transporting cash or conducting driving exams.
Most of the strike dates announced are for December, with action peaking in the two weeks before Christmas. The last general strike in Britain was in 1926, when 1.5 million private sector workers withheld their labour. Unions have seen their freedom to take such action curbed by parliament over the last century. Nonetheless, some union leaders say they are coordinating action for maximum impact, and nearly 100 years after the last general strike, 1.5 million workers could again be on picket lines by Christmas.
